NEW DELHI: The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has suspended a nursing officer for misbehaving with resident doctors and for leading a strike in the main OT that led to the cancellation of around 80 surgeries on Friday.
In an order issued by AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria, nursing officer and nursing union president Harish Kalja was asked to abstain from work. He would not be allowed to leave the headquarters without obtaining prior permission, the order stated.
The decision comes after the resident doctors demanded suspension of Kajla and sought further disciplinary action as per the Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules. An FIR was also filed at the Hauz Khas police station by the security section of the medical institute against members of the AIIMS Nursing Union.
On Friday, the nurses union had gone on a strike because of which the patients had to wait despite being given anesthesia. The nurses were protesting over the shortage of manpower and other work- related issues. In a viral video, Kalja is seen shouting at a resident doctor. When the duty officer from the hospital administration tried to intervene, he was also shouted at by Kalja.
Kalja, meanwhile, said that the suspension order was biased. “The nursing union refutes this order. It is a biased order and this has angered us,” Kalja told this correspondent. The resident doctors had condemned the behaviour of nursing staff. “We strongly condemn this incident and such unruly behaviour with our resident doctors.
We stand together during these harsh times and will resort to any extent in this matter to achieve justice and make sure the accused is punished,” the Resident Doctors Association had said. RDA president Jaswant Jangra had also appealed to the Association members to stand by each other in such challenging times.